Coup in Turkey: Conflicting Reports on Whether Military Has “Completely Taken Over”

On Friday, unknown military factions waged a coup in Turkey claiming to have “completely taken over the administration of” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The group claiming to represent the nation’s military issued a statement announcing that it had “completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate the constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged.”

The military blocked bridges over the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, deployed tanks to to the city’s main airport, and sent low-flying jets and helicopters to patrol over the capital Ankara. Seventeen police officers were killed in a helicopter attack on police headquarters in Ankara, the state-run Anadolu agency reports. A video obtained by People’s Pundit Daily show a number of tanks moving toward a palace that is now used by the prime minister and deputy prime ministers.

A civilian car tried to stop one of the tanks, but it rammed through the vehicle as those in the car escaped.

There are conflicting reports about Erdoğan’s status and power, with some Turkish media outlets reporting he had left the country on his private jet. Erdoğan made a statement late on Friday night through a Facetime call broadcast on CNN Turk where he denounced the coup attempt and vowed that the perpetrators would be punished. He further urged the citizens of Turkish to resist a military-declared curfew, stating he calls “on our people to gather in squares and airports” to oppose the attempted government takeover.

“Throughout history those who make coups have been unsuccessful, and I absolutely believe that these will be unsuccessful as well,” Mr. Erdoğan said, adding that the architects of the takeover attempt “will absolutely pay the price for this in heaviest manner.”

https://twitter.com/ahmetsyayla/status/754041409200533504

If successful, the coup in Turkey would put the U.S. government in a particularly difficult position. While many in the Obama administration are concerned about his increasingly authoritarian policies, President Erdoğan was nevertheless freely elected. Aside fro the nation’s membership in NATO, it is a longstanding U.S. policy to cut off funding for regimes seizing power through a coup d’etat.

In Washington, a statement from the White House said President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry agreed that “all parties in Turkey should support the democratically elected government of Turkey, show restraint and avoid any violence or bloodshed.”

According to high-ranking officials in the Turkish government–including Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who spoke to Turkish television channel NTV–it was an “attempted” military coup against Erdoğan’s government.

Under Erdoğan’s leadership, many have grown increasingly alarmed over the nation’s move toward Islamism, or Islamic supremacy. The president holds staunchly Islamist views and has moved the country to much in favor of extremism. Indeed, following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, France in November 2015, soccer fans chanted “Allah Akbar” and booed during a moment of silence for the victims.

We all Pakistanis & Muslim Ummah stands with legitimate gov of #Erdogan & we will never let West rules #Turkey pic.twitter.com/KzQgfq9R50

— Hassan Lashari (@lasharis21) July 15, 2016

Dissenters clam President Erdoğan has been moving the country from a parliamentary system to a presidential system and he is on record as saying he would never tolerate what President Obama tolerates from the U.S. Congress. Mr. Erdoğan has expressed his preference for a more dictatorial system, citing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Turkish military has traditionally seen itself as a guardian of the country’s secular heritage. Tensions between Erdoğan and the Turkish armed forces have been growing for years.